Rangers-Penguins in review

Wow. I’ll tell you, boys and girls, that was as good a regular-season victory as you could have. It would have been a great win at 1-0, it would have been a painful loss at 2-1, and whatever happened at 2-2 in OT or shootout would have been OK because of the way they tied it. But to win it in OT, like that, on that type of goal, that’s going to be a game you remember later on.

Thoughts:

1) Brandon Dubinsky has just become a beast of a hockey player. And a complete player.

2) Dan Girardi showed me something, and not just a couple of pints of blood. To come back like that, and then, I don’t know if you noticed, he took one in the onions on his first shift back, and he shook that off and had a terrific finish.

3) I thought it was especially fitting in this game that the five Rangers on the ice for the GWG were: Callahan, Dubinsky, Staal, Girardi and Lundqvist.

4) Old Hot Dog Lips is a pretty darn good player, and pretty rugged, too. I thought he had a fabulous game even though he was shut down. You have to like the way the boys handled him physically. Nobody seemed to remember, when he and Lundqvist came together, that last year Lundqvist scolded him for diving and that led to a Crosby-Dubinsky get-together behind the net.

5) Before the short-handed goal, I thought this was Marc Staal’s best game of the season … even though he did his fishing-for-the-puck thing once and it cost the Rangers the tying goal. Matter of fact, I thought all six D-men were strong and tough.

6) I don’t usually support all the conspiracy theories, but man the Penguins get a lot of calls. This was the first time in nearly four years where the Rangers didn’t get a single PP in a game.

7) Evgeni Malkin=Monster. Or Malkinstein.

8) I don’t even know what to say about Ryan Callahan anymore. I did enjoy his Bantamweight mitts-drop. Not to mention the thousands of hits. The GWG. And, of course, the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

9) Ron Duguay on the go-ahead goal: “Any time a shot goes post and in, that’s a great shot.” Yeah, Ron, that’s why Lundqvist destroyed his stick and threw it at the refs and took a really bad penalty. That was not a good goal, and the goalie knew it. Though his frustration was more about the ridiculous penalty call that put the Rangers short-handed up 1-0.

10) Matt Cooke really is a piece of carcillo.

11) Youse guys are nuts with the comments. Big, big traffic night here. I think that shows that you get it. As I said at the top. Wow.

165 Comments

A couple more games like these last two and I would really be nervous about certain players coming back from injuries and trying to fit into what looks like a team of young, hungry guys who really appear to be developing a rhythm an identity.

Saw Crosby post-game on NHL network. Very ungracious, although that is typical for him; he is all about promoting himself, and always refuses to give credit to opponents. He actually went out of his way to say Lundqvist wasn’t that good; totally unnecessary. Jagr criticized his whining, and Dubinsky and Lundqvist have criticized his diving and whining. Only Canadians seem to let it slide with him. Great to see Crosby in such a snit.

Crosby can flap his trap all he wants. He know the Rangers are the best. Crosby is the product of a pathetic franchise that lost al the time and got rewarded with top draft picks. Crosby is a great player on a lame team. Everyone knows the Rangers are the coolest team on ice.

The Penguins are an evil empire if I ever saw one. All the players in the league should band together to protest the reffing. Everyone can see it, everyone complains about it, but the league just says we don’t care, take it.

This must be the reason the league is against the coaches challenge. So what if it slows the game for a min 1 or 2 times a game. It would completely expose players like crosby and malkin diving all over the place. All I know is football is a better game for using it.

The Rangers and Flyers have both had players call Crosby out for diving. Forsberg did it during Sid’s rookie year and Jagr did it during their playoff match up a few years ago. Not to mention the said incident withindqvist and they played a clip of Crosby whacking Dubi last year in Pitt not only in front of the ref but whilst the ref was holding Dubi.

I just can’t get over this fact from the game, 8 of the last 10 minutes of the 3rd had the Pens on the PP.

I’m still pumped from that game last night. We never gave up and battled through all the BS. It’s very rewarding to see Dubinsky coming through in the clutch-mobile to set up the tying and winning goals.

It’s games like this that bring a team together and really show how much they care.

And the Devils did lose last night too! Marty looking old and slow again on Horton’s goal.
Relative to expectations, how Johnny Mac has a job and Scott Gordon doesnt is beyond me. It’s nice to see the Rangers having the least drama going on with their team/coach/front office out of the local clubs.

I agree WOW! I dont think I have EVER been so frustrated with a game and the way it was ref’d nor have I been that ELATED with a WIN!!!
They did skate circles around us in the 1st period, its like we were just going thru the motions watching them do whatever they want. But we hung in there and got better.
I was disappointed when Pitt tied the game but almost expected it at that point.
I was PISSED when that moron scored the go ahead goal.
I was ELATED when Staal tied the game and even more so when Callie won the game.
Callahan, Dubi, Staal, Girardi and Hank…these are true NY RANGERS and I am proud to be a fan today!!!!

Great win last night. Even though it appeared that Pittsburgh owned the puck the entire game they really didn’t get that many quality chances. I couldn’t believe it when Cooke scored. How could they hold off the Penguins for 58 minutes then blow it in the last two? Then Staal’s goal and the game-winner was just a great play by Dubi.

Make no mistake, I hate the Devils, but they have at least earned what they have. The Pens lose on purpose to draft Lemieux, and when they threaten to move the franchise or of Pittsburgh, they somehow “win” the draft lottery. I despise everything about that team. Plus they have Matt Cooke. Scum!!

Also, I might have to revise my prediction of the Pens winning the Atlantic. With Jordan Staal out it is interesting to see that the likes of Aaron Asham and Matt Cooke getting top 6 minutes. Crosby and Malkin obviously make any line dangerous much like Gaborik for the Rangers but the talen drop off from those two to the next player is really steep.

No reason to go into the long discussion about positives. That was a game of immense magnitude. For the team and their young players. And for the fans. This win is absolutely paramount for this team’s development.

Sauer is officially a regular in my book. And he could be our shutdown D pretty soon. Someone mentioned Staal being more physical last night. It’s just not his nature, so I wouldn’t expect him to do it every game, but when he does, he is a monster. Also, think of his goals- most of them are of crucial importance. Girardi officially erased last years’ Carcillo incident, at least for me. He has guts, to say the least. MDZ is still finding his game this year, I wouldn’t worry about him. Now, why was Gilroy sitting again? I’d pair him with Sauer and let him venture deep in the opponents zone.
Hank was Hank. Orpik was able to shut down Gaborik, but what we thought would happen, happened- tey didn’t have enough depth on D to shut down AC/DC line.
Prust looks seriously underpaid, he is much better player than the throw in Jokinen

Lets not forget that they were still outplayed for good stretches of the game, they need to spend more time in the offensive zone, that’s their strength. And, geez, can we do something about the face-offs? That’s why I think having Drury back will help. as long as he isn’t asked to center first line, but instead quietly slides in to replace White (don’t get me started)

Lastly, I hate blaming refs in general, but I do believe it’s time for Slats to make an official inquiry to NHL.

win still feels great this morning! i’ll be using the utter joy of staal and cally’s goal to get me through today without nodding off at my desk. little sleep for the 4th day in a row is awesome! hartnelling cold!

Fun game, and frustrating. This might have been the most satisfying regular season win I’ve watched in a long time. When Staal scored the tying goal, I screamed, something I don’t do much in the regular season, and I gave the TV the finger and screamed F-you Crosby!!. That game seemed to be officiated so one sided it just wasn’t fair. It reminded me of how the Giants-Cowboys game was officiated the night before (that was no hold on Beatty when Nicks TD got brought back, but I digress). The team does seem to have some cohesiveness and I love the style of play. I do think they need a great breakout passer from the D* The only place they are really getting in trouble is coming out of their zone. MDZ is about the only guy that’s decent. I do like the spirit of the D* corps now. I was really worried going into the season. Eminger, while no all-star is better than I expected. Sauer and Gilroy have stepped it up big time in Rozy’s absence.

BTW – without Stall, Pittsburgh really has just two above average players now. They don’t scare me much at all. The F-ers are a much better team (if they get decent goaltending) and the Rangers may be the second best team in the division, as long as they stay healthy from now on.

And, yes, as much as I hate to admit it, they need Drury back to win some faceoffs. Not sure where to play him though. My first thought was to let Stepan play with Gabby and Frolov and jettison EC, but maybe EC is seeing the writing on the wall and picking up his game. Should be interesting.

Call him Malkinberry because he looks like Frankenberry from the Cereal. LMAO @ Hotdog Lips. OMG thats hysterical. And that Malkinberry dive at the end was a completely pathetic call.
Did anyone else feel like Sam Rosen was frustrated with the refs as well by the tone of his voice?

Smid, who left Sunday’s game dazed, did not skate at practice on Monday. “I asked him to go three times,” Smid said of Avery, “and he said, ‘Next shift.’ It was cheap what he did, but I made a mistake. I should be ready for him.”

– courtesy of the NY Times

Heh, still talking about it eh? Don’t worry, you can get your revenge next year!

Not defending Cindy but he said something along the lines that Hank stopped allot of first shots but did not have to make any difficult 2nd saves. He made it sound like Hank had it easy which was not the case in the game I saw.

I hope Sauer sticks when Rozy comes back. I think he’s a nice addition to the defense. If Torts can coax EC to be a consistently good offensive player, we might be better than expected… but as Carp points out, Staal and Girardi fish for the puck way too much, and the defensive corps as a whole still does not clear the crease enough. There’s going to be plenty of rough moments when the D goes for stick checks or leaves the slot open… but overall, I think we’re all very pleased with what we saw last night.

crosby is so obviously the league big-shot’s “future face of the NHL.” the home cooking the pens enjoy is so blatantly obvious, and if anyone remembers thier playoff run last year, any one who even looked at that lightweight was given an interference or roughing penalty while he swan-dived his way to a pre-determined cup.

Carp, regarding #1. Dubinsky has always been beastly, but in order for him to become a beast he has to be able to do it for the majority of 82 games, which has been his big problem. So far so good his season and let’s hope he can keep it up. Though, the better he plays, the more likely it will be that he’ll be missing the beginning of training camp next year. I wish Sather believed in contract extensions.

“There really was no fair ending to that game. On the one hand, the penalty calls were ridiculous, but on the other hand, the Pens dominated every aspect of that game, even at full strength. I think an old fashioned tie – the kind that doesn’t exist anymore – would have been about right.

As an aside- does Sean Avery really think he’s going to buy a call by jumping headfirst into the boards? He should just dress like a clown instead of a hockey player.”

How do we get rid of this insufferable clown with his obsessive Marc Staal man crush? I never thought I’d long for Chico Resch.

Scotty Hockey said it best, ” Joe Micheletti is the worst. “I’m sorry Sam but … ” “Pardon me Sam but …” There is no excuse for Joe. He points out the blatently obvious and has zero chemistry with his co-worker, loudly interrupting him constantly. He is clearly a sycophant, sucking up to his Ranger overlords by being a p.r. shrill lauding any and every minuscule accomplishment. If you haven’t figured it out, I can’t stand him.” http://scottyhockey.blogspot.com/

Sam is hardly better as he constantly indulges in insipid patter with Joe instead of just calling the game. He forgets he’s there to serve the viewers. rather than have the viewers serve him. Who cares about their trivia questons when the game is tied late in the third period. He’s okay when Joe isn’t there so removing Joe is the first step.

BSH: Disagree on Sam. He doesn’t stick with the game. He starts talking about the past, Del Zotto’s family, MSG employees…all this while the game is going on. His attempts at humor are pathetic and his apparent belief that the viewers’ are interested in the inside jokes and “good natured” needling that constantly goes on between him and Joe is misguided. Not to mention that incredibly corny, “It’s a power play goal! He doesn’t pull this crap on NFL games with Tim Ryan and didn’t do it with Bill Maas either. That’s why I say, Joe gotta go.

The emergence of the Duby-Cally-Anisimov line is something we’ve been waiting for for a couple of years now and also something that i discussed over the summer as one of the ‘ifs’ regarding the team. I said then that if Duby and Cally stepped up to be the players we all think that they can be, the Rangers could become a solid playoff contender. So far I like what I am seeing. Yesterday the Pens concentrated on stopping Gabby with Orpik, which worked pretty well. At crunch time, however, Duby stepped up and took control, winning key draws in addition to setting up the 2 goals. Also, I anm really liking sauer’s game more and more. He plays solid, tough defense and seems to be in good position most of the time. Really nice to see the chemistry that is building on the team.

You mean his iconic catch-phrase that he’s been using for the 20+ years he’s been on the network? Might as well say Marv Albert is corny for saying “YES!”, Phil Rizzuto for “Holy Cow!”, or John Amirante for his awful toupe.

Fair opinion Joemustgo. I could see where those things would frustrate you. I never fought you on Joe going, by the way. Though Joe did have the best line I’ve heard out of a tv announcer in a long time:

“Why not just take away the sticks and call it volleyball.”

That was during his first season with the Rangers. I imagine he’s been reigned in since then.

What’s wrong with “It’s A Power Play Goal”? It’s an accurate description of on the ice action.

I watched some of the Devils-Bruins replay before I went to bed last night and I did hear the part where Chico was advocating the Devils taking dives to draw calls. Where’s Miami-Pimp to give his “BUSH LEAGUE” stamp of approval on that?

Duguay and Pidto are both just terrible. You can tell Duguay is unprepared and just winging it most times.

The shot was accurate, but an accurate shot does not mean a goal is good. I could take a shot from center ice that is perfectly going to hit the joint and go in, but if that actually happens, there has been a terrible error on the part of the goaltender.

Amirante hasn’t looked too good to me for the last couple of years. In a way, I’m glad he’s not doing many games because I find it tough to watch. But as long as he wants to keep singing, good for him. He’s earned it.

My grandson in the picture is 4 years old. He’s been to 2 Rangers games -a 5 -2 win over Tampa last winter and Sunday’s 8 – 2 job over edmonton. He sang the goal song 8 times, saw 3 fights and a melle, got his picture taken at center ice, and got a shout out befooore the game by Brian Boyle. His whole life is a fantasy!

Bummed I missed the last two games, sounds like they were some good times. I was watching the Sabres-Canucks game (also good times) and bonding with my roommie who was screaming “FULL MONTY” everytime Montador touched the puck…

I know this is far fetched, but boy I would love to get my hands on those refs or for someone else to. They are disgracing this great game. Lets see them act so tough when there is no game on the line.

>>Cally and Dubi…can’t kill penalties, play the PP and take regualr shifts every game, can they?

When you’re still in your early twenties, you should be able to.

If the team continues to win, I see no reason to tamper with the chemistry to insert Drury in the line-up. Just because he’s the captain doesn’t mean he has to play as soon as he’s ready.

Prospal will be coming back from a busted knee, and probably will be wearing a knee brace, which will definitely affect his skating and play. Hmm, I’d give him the rest of the year to fully rehabilitate that knee. See you in September, Vinny!

I’ll be even more impressed when Dubinsky puts in a FULL year of being “monster-man” and I think this is his year.

FIG CINDY! I dont give a squirt how good of a player he is. He’s a whiney, dirty ZIPLOCK BAG! Yes I remember that incident with LQ. I remember the incident when the linesman was holding back Dubi and Cindy whacked him with her purse. No calls for slashing though right?

Bettman knows his daughters arent playing well so he’s trying to help them along.

FYI the absolutely WORST officiated game was a few years back when Renney was coach. Anyone remember that Chicago game? 3 5 on 3’s in a row. Renney went postal!!! Im pretty sure the Rangers won that game too. I think the Rangers got 2 PP and Chicago 11. I remember reading on TSN the comments. Even the chicago fans were embarrassed by the officiating.

This was a great win for a very hard working team. And Karma rewarded them. They had to battle two opponents and they beat them both. What a fantastic win and moral victory for our boys. I would really love to see Prospal in this mix. He would be great for the kids. Keep Drury on the IR.

cg (waaaay up there) – I believe I was watching the same game. I perhaps didn’t literally mean *one* faceoff. There have been several games this year – yesterday included – where the Rangers have been dominated on draws for long stretches of games. That has been pretty obvious.

You think Drury can do worse than White? He can give AA, Callahan and Dubinsky some needed relieve on PK. And perhaps he can bring their face-off percentage closer to 50%. I don’t think Torts is dumb enough to mess with chemistry.

LW’s right. Gotta get our faceoff-game up. Drury’s our best FO guy, period. Mako, Renney postal in that Chicago game after Chicago FINALLY scored on their last 5 on 3 of the game. He was on the ice screaming at the officials. It was funny that Drury called, and got, the GWG.

Is there anyone else who can not get Ranger games because of the NHL territory rule? We get Sabre games instead of Ranger games because the NHL thinks the Albany area is part of Western New York. Need to start a petition to the NHL to get with the program. Thanks

Not sure if anyone posted this, but ESPN has an article about the Canucks and they specifically reference one-time Rangers prospect/property Manny Malholtra as a key to the Canucks improved play this year.

I am really glad Eminger has stepped up. He’s played very well in Roszi’s absence and has showed some “bite” back there. lol

EC is such a strange player. Very nice goal last night. Its so weird. He could look like Carcillo on one shift and then like an elite scorer on another. I don’t think I’lll ever figure this guy out. I don’t think he’ll ever figure himself out.

Seriously though, Staal seems to have a knack for scoring huge goals…many of the goals in his career have been game changers…

The Rangers played 2/3 of a very good game. The refs sucked for the whole game.Of course Buttman won’t let Torts use his given rite of free speech and tell us exactly what he thinks about the one sided calls. Buttman you alreadt got cindy a cup so lay the efff off and call it fair if you and your clowns no how!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wouldn’t read into it that much vis a vis EC. I think Boyle, like all the Rangers know that Avery’s reputation precedes him with the league, the officials, the media and opposing fans. But I do commend him for publicly sticking up for his teammate.

This has probably been posted already, but just in case it hasn’t. From SNY

“I’d like to see the penalty record the last five years in Pittsburgh,” said an annoyed Lundqvist, who was brilliant throughout the match. “We’re shorthanded so many times in Pittsburgh and it’s definitely not our fault.”

Lundqvist to Larry Brooks of the NY Post

Thank you!! Finally somebody has enough balls to bring up the one sided officiating between these two teams over the years!

the sharks in the playoffs got similar favoritism. I follow them, and was shocked that they got more ref favoritism than any other team in the playoffs, even including the favored Pens.

for example, in the playoffs, the Pens had 57 PPs and 43 times shorthanded

the cup winners, the Chi BlackHawks, had 80 PPs, but were short 90 times

but get this, the Sharks had 71 PPs, and were only on the PK 49 times

so, Pitt with 14 more PPs, Philly with 10 more, were the runnerups, and the only other teams that received a big advantage from the refs. but they paled in comparison to SJ, who got an unbelievable 71 PPs, and got 22 more times a man up than their opponents did on them.

Great win! I must admit, I told mrs wicky at the start of the 3rd period that I was nervous and this game had a pens comeback written all over it with us leading only 1-0 zero. I had a bad feeling we were going to lose 2-1 in OT. Glad I missed that one and we won!

I think eminger and staal should stay as a pairing.

I was torn during the offseason whether or not we should go for hedberg or biron as a backup for hank, glad we went with biron.

Last thing. In reading the post game comments and such I am a bit confused on two things….first, some people were referring to dubi “haters”. I read the blog quite regularly, and don’t really recall any posts which I would consider dubi “hating” posts. Who are dubi “haters” here? Have I missed these posts?

Second, and this is very disturbing, but I have to ask. In reference to this post “Don’t look now, but the are Rangers deservedly occupying #4 spot in EC”, what is Eric Christensen’s #4 spot??